In the following discussion certain articles and methods will be described for background and introductory purposes. Nothing contained herein is to be construed as an “admission” of prior art. Applicant expressly reserves the right to demonstrate, where appropriate, that the articles and methods referenced herein do not constitute prior art under the applicable statutory provisions.
The binding and activation of a T-cell receptor (TCR) to its specific antigen has been difficult to identify in high throughput systems due to the diversity of major histocompatibility complexes, the variety of potential antigens, and the diversity of T-cells in humans and animals. Conventional techniques such as HPLC require a priori information about the TCR target, and the identification process can be both lengthy and cumbersome.
There is thus a need in the art for better and more robust means for identifying specific antigens for TCRs in a high throughput, multiplexed manner. The present invention addresses this need.